Ooooo - I love a blank slate!! So the white is the hoophouse, and your veg garden will be there, yes? How large will you make it?? I can see some of the earth has been worked......I would be very tempted to put a woodland garden around, amongst the trees to the back and left, with a path.....I can see what looks like a sidewalk at the extreme left. So, that side lot exposed to the road, yes? If yes, I would put some kind of privacy screen there, a fence, a hedge, something to suit your style and the style of your home.I'd do the same thing on the far right, as well. Cause you can, I get some fabulous tea roses to put at the back of the house. You got some work to do, boy!!! lol.

Nancy.

Rain garden in that greenest part toward the bottom of the photo. Does water wash across there in a hard rain?

Nell

I'll give you some more pictures to help. Yes, it is a blank slate. I've spent the last year and a half removing trees and 10' tall boxwoods that looked like this.

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First, the house itself standing in the driveway. I've planted two leylands, one on each side of the driveway to make a more private backyard in a few years. Right now, it's open all the way to the magnolias back there scattered among the large oak trees. Don't really have a clear picture showing a straight view.

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But this is a straight shot standing at the very end of the driveway. That concrete slab is gone now.

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View to the right showing the gully. Yes, it used to be a creek. Some time during the past decade, the city diverted the water so now it's just overflow for storm drains. Nice mosquito bog during the summer. I'd love to know what I can plant down there to discourage them. I've already picked up all the tires and beer bottles and cans I could find. It was used as a dump by either the former renters or the neighbors, which is also a rental.

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Same spot looking further right. The driveway forms a t-shape at the end. One arm goes into the garage (which is too small to park a car in. The door is 7' wide. My small truck doesn't fit. The ceiling it too low to make a living space, so I use it to store a motorcycle and gardening stuff.

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Same spot looking left. As much as I hated to do it, those dogwoods came down. They had rotting wood in the upper branches. I left the roots hoping they'll grow back this year. I've also pushed the yard back another 20' or so to the very edge of the tallest trees. At the corner of the house, there's one of my two Tea Olive shrubs which is missing from this picture because it was taken before I bought them. Both tea olives are in the back where I intend to build some sort of patio one day.

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And the view from the bedrooms. To the left (out of sight and beyond that tree) is where I have planned my moon garden. I moved three mock orange shrubs out there, one white profussion butterfly bush, and some white daffodils that are yellow, of course. I've got my list from the moon garden thread for that area.

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This is a better shot again from the driveway where you can see what I've done. The black "dirt" is leaf mulch that was laid down over freshly tilled soil to a depth of about 6-8". The tea olive can be seen in the lower left hand corner.

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There are lots more pictures of the yard and house before and after in some cases in my albums. Feel free to look around.

A woodland garden is what I'm thinking too. I planted 50 azaleas that are supposed to get 8-10' tall around the back edge last spring. I lost at least half of them in June when our temperatures went over 100. I couldn't water them enough to save them even twice a day. The soil needed working than I gave it. I'm ready this year.

The rain garden suggestion from FoxesEarth is excellent for that gully. You can Google rain garden images- there is a lot there! I love rain gardens!

A rain garden traps the rain water and holds it for a short while, until it can seep into the earth. It keeps it out of storm drains and filters pollutants, fertilizers and other debris, so it doesn't get into the streams and rivers. AND, you can grow just about anything in them. I have seen some truly beautiful rain gardens, and they are not as much work to build as a dry bed.

The one in this picture uses storm water that drains off the road in front of the house, but we use storm water that comes off the roof of our Extension office.

How big is your area? I see a couple of places where I would consider terracing, to increase your outdoor living space.

Where is the big oak tree located? I can't visualize where the shade would be from it.

Your house is charming, with a lot of potential.

Janie

Here is a link that might be useful: about rain gardens

I would also research what grows in the woodlands locally. I would fill in around the azaleas with mounding, low growing types - definitely natives, to avoid a repeat of the 100 degree episode. I had a quick look at a couple of NC sites - there is a native woodland bulrush, which is noted for the western part of the state - that might help with the bog. Wow, a natural bog!!! The mind fairly boggles - lol. If it is filled with local plants, you can encourage local mossie eaters to move in!! Cool. There is a native kiwi vine, which will grow up established trees, as well as a native hops vine. I am salivating. Why oh why, do these people not add photos - most people are visual learners. This is something you learn when you are selling things, and Gods knows, that is what they are trying to do. Anyway, here is a have decent link - the best of what I found googling 'North Carolina Woodland Plants'. K, and before everyone gets all excited, I am not encouraging you to go in to the woods and forage!! There are probably nurseries that will have these plants legally grown, or you can look for seeds - I think that that is still cool.

Nancy.

This lady in Houston called it a 'swale garden' but it is the same thing.

We grow coneflower, verbena, hairy wedeila, agave, rock rose, salvia, fairy duster, trumpet vine, cross vine, black eye susan, and blackfoot daisy in ours, as well as the things she mentions, but you can grow lots and lots of other things too.

And, we don't have mosquitoes!

Also, you can check with your Extension agent for sources and resources.

Are you a Master Gardener?

Janie

Here is a link that might be useful: Houston 'swale garden'

Locally, we have lots of hardy ferns and rhododendron. I'm in what used to be a mountainous area and a lot of the soil is old volcanic soil with big sedimentary stone. There's also a lot of clay. Right now, that gully has a lot of ivy, privet, and periwinkle. There's also a lot of privet. And some privet and ivy.

One huge oak in the backyard was leaning. It was beginning to pull itself out of the ground, so in the process, a few others needed to be taken down too. I think it was 4 total. That also gave me a lot more sunlight and a lot of firewood.

I do want to eventually terrace this area, but that's going to be expensive given the soil condition and amount of area. So for now, I'm going to learn to live with the rolling hills and work around them.

This is what the gully looks like right now. There's a lot of cleanup that needs to be done here. The ground is nearly constantly wet. And that means mosquitoes. I think that's what worries me most about a rain garden. Or maybe I'm thinking about it wrong.

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The oak tree is here. I hadn't seen the sun for a while LOL. It's the tree on the right. It throws a shadow across the entire garage side of the house for several hours a day during the summer. It's HUGE. Underneath it, there's azaleas and camellias that did survive this summer. I've also planted hostas in between when I helped a friend dig up a 10 year old clump. I think I planted 15 or so in that area.

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And the base of it is just behind the bird feeder. It's at least as old as the house. 1946.

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Oh, and did I mention that I'm trying to do all this at the same time without spending any money? LOL

That's why I've learned to propagate using cuttings, root cuttings, seeds, etc. There's no way I could afford all the shrubs and flowers I want in this yard. I spent $100 on those azaleas when they were on sale at Lowe's. Not this year. I might buy some fertilizer and lime for the veggies, but otherwise, I'm not spending a dime.

Hmmm...no wonder I have an abundance of spider lilies in that area. They apparently love the rain gardens. Since they go dormant in spring, they don't rot when the dry weather comes.

I tried growing some elephant ears down there last year. I had the bulbs and they didn't fit with anything else I was trying to do, so that's where they ended up. They didn't grow too well.

The water in that area comes from the street. There are two storm drains that funnel water into this area. The other end has been sealed off by the city. When it rains, the water just stays there until it evaporates or soaks in. After a good summer storm, it can take a couple weeks which is why I have mosquitos.

I have been toying with the idea of building some bat houses. I see them each evening in the summer. I'd love to get more in here.

Ok, more suggestions. I'm off to do some more research.

It really depends upon the look you want. Woodsy grabs me as the one to grow around your style of house. Your garden needs some height to balance with the house since it sits up so high.

Try terracing using rocks and shrubby plants instead of forms. Flowers can be tucked in, & bulbs, ferns, and all sorts of things. An evergreen here and there down that slope with big rocks would give it balance. Then poke in azaleas, creeping phlox and plants like that. Ornamental grasses would look good there too, and of course, my favorite, irises. Plant lots of bulbs for spring flowers. Woodsy.

I love the lay of your land. That gives you so many possibilities.

~ Annie

I'm all for the rain garden and a woodsy theme, but taking a step back, I think you should start with the bones first--a path and a fence. Then, I think you should build your garden with these in mind to define the area and to use as a reference point.

The path should be a useful one and should lead through the garden to a focal point. The path material should compliment your home.--Maybe brick in a similar color as the brick on your house or possibly stone or concrete-made-to-look like stone. (Watch out though for the concrete-made-to-look like stone because if not done well, this can look exactly like a do-it-yourself Home Depot path rather than a tasteful journey through your yard.)

If you are going for a formal look, the path should be straight. If you want an informal look, the path should meander. It would help if the path was placed where you normally walk so it leads you to a destination you go to often and gets used.

I also think it would help greatly to have a fence to give the garden a reference point. The type of fencing you choose again should reflect and compliment the style of your home. I don't think this can be over-emphasized.

In a neighborhood I pass through on my way to work each day, there are a couple of houses (not next door either) that have very tall ornamental wrought iron fences. The ornamental wrought iron is beautiful. The houses are in good shape, but the two DON'T go to together. Both homes are short, squat tract-style homes and the fences look like they belong to vintage homes in Louisiana or Victorian homes from days past.

In the same vein, someone else threw up a 4 ft lattice fence around the small front yard of their home. It's awful, but was probably all that person could afford. She (I think it's a she) hangs plastic hanging baskets from the fence and is trying her best to make it garden-y. Good for her, but I wish she had a different fence. It's too tall for her small front yard, and it literally is thrown up.

Don't ask me what kind of fence you should have because I'm not sure. Definitely not chain link, & definitely not a full tall wooden privacy fence--in my opinion.

A tip I've read about landscaping is never to make your yard more formal or fancy than your home. You let the style of your home to some extent dictate how the landscaping should look. Of course there are exceptions to rules.

Just my two cents and that's what it's worth. :-) Laura

Laura,

Thanks for the suggestions of a fence. My first idea was to put a 42" tall picket fence painted white along the back edge of the driveway. It would run the entire length with a small arbor in there and a gate. Now, I'm thinking I would rather use large shrubs. Part of the problem is that my house on that side is so tall. It's 3 stories and anything 4' tall gets lost. Even my truck looks tiny next to the full height of the house. So I need plants that will get at least 10' or taller and form a screen. I'm thinking Cherry Laurels and fragrant tea olives. Maybe some redtips as well. I don't need plants that flower really, I just want to shield the yard from the street.

As for the rest of the yard, I want to let the "paths" remain grass. I'm not a fan of huge lawns, but back there, it's nice to have somewhere to throw a blanket at night and watch the stars during the summer. That is, if the mosquitoes will leave you alone.

I'm planning this summer to continue my cuttings and propagate more shrubs. I'm looking for fast growing types that are native or do well here in our soil. I don't want to repeat last year's watering issues. Any hardscape will probably be built from recycled concrete and brick or native stone that I can pick up literally out of the gully and surrounding woods. Most of the stone is just laying under years of leaves. It was tossed there when the house was built I think.

My house has a very informal feeling to it both inside and out. So my gardening style had to change here. Normally, I'm a very rectalinear person. With this house, I've incorporated a lot of curves into the yard. I want visitors and myself to feel drawn to focal points and find new things at each turn. I never considered a "formal" garden at all. The closest thing to a formal garden here is the perennial bed that runs next to the driveway. I've outlined the path there with stone that I picked up while tilling the back veggie beds. Yes, it was a LOT of stone. LOL

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I've got a few more pictures as well.

From the street.

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The house looms over you.

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From the front walk

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Looking towards the future patio area from the driveway

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From the future patio area looking down on the gully.

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So the plan I came up with was to edge the "woods" with large shrubs that flower at different times of the year. I've got mock orange, butterfly bushes, gardenias, flowering quince, crepe myrtles (lavender and white), forsythia, camellias, Carolina sweetshrub, rose of sharon, and a few others I can't recall right now. Using the larger ones in the back, I would work my way towards a human scale at the front. Daffs and other spring bulbs would be scattered in between too.

That said, it's a 5 year plan, even after 1.5 years of working on the outlines. Hopefully, this spring and summer will let me start placing plants. If not, by fall I should be ready with the cuttings I made last summer and will make this spring. It's a virtual waste land right now. I hate how it looks. But I can see the finished product in my head knowing that it will change as I go along. But the outlines are there. I just need to start filling in the rest.

Lots of work, and there's still the north side of the house, the perennial bed, and the front bed leading to the front door. Anyone wanna come help? :)

Keep the suggestions coming. In my own little bubble there are things I overlook. I had even forgotten about the fence idea until Laura's post.

The first thing that occurred to me when I saw the lay of the land with the gully was that the gully would lead me right up to the woods if I followed it. I would capitalize on that and maybe make a dry/wet stream bed with local rock (maybe already on your property) and let it just lead off into the woods. Very inviting. You could make it curve to the left and then back to the right instead of straight. You could also use broken concrete, very cheap, and then compose a path along one side of the gully/stream bed so that one could stroll along the stream bed right into the woods. In addition, you could plant right in the stream bed, even putting larger boulders throughout so that you could leap from the larger ones as you progress to the woods. I don't know what your zone is but rushes would look great between the boulders or rocks.

There is a house in Victoria, Texas with a retaining wall across the front, near the street. The reason it is there is that there is a deep ditch there, so they needed to do something to dress that area.

The retaining wall is constructed of broken concrete, and it is just beautiful. It is a stacked wall, and if there is mortar in it, you can't see it. There are plants, succulents, growing in between the 'rocks'. I was astonished the first time I saw this wall. It is not located in the low rent district; on the contrary, it is in Old Victoria, prime real estate in Victoria.

Ordinarily I would not recommend a chain link fence either, but I have seen some that is very nice. It is vinyl clad chain link and comes in dark green or black. The black has the 'feel' of wrought iron, and with an ornate gate, you wouldn't realize it is chain link. I swear this is the truth. You could run a 6' chain link, vinyl clad in black, and plant your shrubs too.

Janie

As to your paths - you want them to be grass, so here is my suggestion- leave your grass to get long. Then, use the mower to cut the pathes you want through the potential area. This will do two things: 1 - you will be able to create easily mowed swathes; 2 - you can take those rocks, and make runners for the mower wheels......best if you leave enough path for 2 people to walk side by side. You can lay cardboard or thick newpapers onto the garden area, with either leaf mold, or a few rocks to hold every down. Then your garden becomes an easy 'paint by numbers' space that you can fill in as you go, or have time!!!

Nancy.

I think it was Abilene Christian University that had the right idea about laying out pathways. They didn't lay any pathways to and from buildings for a year after the building was in use. During that time, the students established the routes from everywhere to that building, and it was easy to know where the pathways should go.

Janie

I think that was Frank Lloyd Wright's idea about the paths Janie. I remember reading that in college.

My paths will probably be more like lawn areas than small path ways. I spent so much time and energy opening up the area back there I don't want to crowd it in again. But I do need to get some plants in there to make it more human scaled. Those trees are HUGE.

LOL, that tour guide didn't mention Frank Lloyd Wright!

Janie

The quintessential garden with grassy paths, IMO, is at Bressingham: Alan Bloom's Dell Garden and his son's Foggy Bottom Garden. I love to visit this site and just 'stroll the gardens.'

Here is a link that might be useful: Blooms of Bressingham

Janie, that's interesting that the college let the students figure out where the paths should be. I did that several years ago in the last garden I made. At the time I had three Australian shepherds and I knew they would be running around in the back yard a lot. So I waited for a couple of years before putting down pathway materials so I could tell where the dogs wanted them to be!

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Frank Lloyd Wright, huh? I thought it was MY idea! LOL

I was trying to find a link to back up my claim. Everything regarding paths ends up talking about careers. Go figure.

I did some work overnight on the backyard. What do you think? LOL

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That's what I wanted to see this morning! Lovely unified color scheme, token!

I normally like colors, but I thought the moon garden feel was best for this space. LOL

Token - you got le neige!!!

Nancy.

And le neige needs to go. My dianthus plants that I started in the fall didn't make it. The temperatures and then the snow just destroyed them. But that's okay. I wintersowed about 400 more. LOL

I've been going over my seeds and making trades the past week or so. I've got a lot of willow (giant white, red, coral embers, black) and redtwig dogwoods for the "rain garden" now. I also have some seeds that like moist spots. I'm going to clean that area up a bit over the next few weeks and start putting in the bones as it warms up. Thanks for all the suggestions. :)